Pencil sharpener



July 1927' c. R. CLARE PENCIL SHARPE NER Filed Sept. 24. 1926 INVENTORPatented July 19, 1927.

CHARLES R. CLARE, OF HOMESTEAD; PENNSYLVANIA.

PENCIL SKARPBNEZE'.

Application filed. September; 24, me Serial m. muse.

My invention relates to. pencil sharpeners, and more particularly to acentering device, therefor, by means of which pencils of various sizescan be accurately positioned with respect. to the cutting or abradingmember sothat the end of the pencil. will be properly shaped and thewood or other enclosing material uniformly cut away about the axis ofthe pencil- Another object of my invention is to simplify andimprovegenerally the form and arrangement of pencil centering devices.

\Vhile my invention is herein described as employed in connection withthose types 0 sharpeners which employ rotatable abrading members mountedon relatively inclined axes, it will be understood that it is applicableto various other types of sharpening devices.

One form which my invention may take is shown in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pencilsharpener to which my invention has been applied; Fig. 2 is a view, onan enlarged scale, of the centering device of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is aview taken on the line III-HI of Fig. 2.

The sharpener is shown as having a stand ard 4 provided with a bearingportion 5 through which a shaft 6 extends. A crank 7 is secured to theshaft 6. The shaft 6 has formed integrally therewith or rigidly securedthereto, a cage 8, in which are journaled abrading rollers 9. Theabrading rollers are provided with pinions 10 that mesh with teeth onthe interior of a fixed internally-toothed member 11, that is secured tothe standard 4, so that as the shaft 6 is rotated, the abrading rollers9 will be turned on their'axes, in a manner well known in the pencilsharpening art. The cage 6 is provided with a tubular extension 12 thatextends through one wall of a receptacle 13 which is detachably carriedby the member 11, in the usual manner. i

The form and arrangement of the parts thus far described are well knownin the art. Heretofore, sharpeners have been constructed to receive andposition pencils of a given diameter, or have been provided with aplurality of bushings of different diameters, for centering pencilsbetween the rollers 9. Another arrangement involves the use of centeringdevices having openings of various diameters that could be turned tobring any desired openi-ng'opposite to the end of the tubular extension12, these devices. being supchanging the centering means, I provide asleeve 14 that-1s insertable in the tube 12 and is provided with fingers15 of yieldable mater1a1,.such as steel. These fingers. are shown asformed by cutting, longitudinal slots in v the sleeve and bending thefingers thereby formed, to the position shown more clearly f in Fig. 2.The outer ends of these fingers are preferably upturned slightly to keepthem from biting into the pencil when withdrawmg it from the sharpener,and are flattened somewhat so that their edges will not bite into thepencil when the pencil is held stat1onary, and the sleeve revolved.

The sleeve 14 may be formed by rolling a strip of metal to tubular formand thenslitting the same, or may be formed by drilling a rod ofuntempered steel. In the latter case, the fingers 14 would have to betempered in order to produce satisfactory results.

:With my invention applied, the sharpener will be operated in the usualmanner, that 1s, the pencil held against rotation and the abrading rollsrotated about the same, and about their respective axes. The sleeve 14will ordinarily rotate with the tubular extension 12 and the cage 8. Itwill be seen that since the fingers 15 are yieldable, they will tend .tomaintain the axis of the pericil co-incident with the axis of the sleeve14 and hold the inner end of the pencil accurately positioned betweenthe rollers 9.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a pencil sharpener composed of a pair ofabrading members mounted for rotatable movement about axes that areangularly disposed relative to one another, of a centering sleeve whoseaxis is located on a line that is symmetrically disposed between thefirst named axes,

and yieldable fingers carried by said sleeve in position to engage apencil inserted therein and center the same betweensaid abradingmembers.

2. The combination with a pencil sharpener provided with an abradin'gmember that is rotatable about a given axis, of a centering device foryieldably maintaining a penoil with its axis disposed in predeterminedrelation to the first named axis.

3. The combination with a pencil sharpener provided with an abradingmember that is rotatable about a given axis, of a centering device foryieldably maintaining a pencil with its axis disposed in predeterminedrelation to the first named axis, comprising members disposedconcentrically of the axis of the pencil.

4. The combination with a pencil sharp ener provided with an abradingroller that is bodily movable about a given axis and rotatable about anaxis that is radially oii'set with respect to the first named axis, andmeans for yieldably supporting a pencil with its axis co-incident withthe first named axis.

5. The combination with a pencil sharpener having a cage rotatable abouta given axis, abrading rollers carried by said cage and rotatable aboutaxes that are inclined with respect to the first named axis, of acentering sleeve, means for securing said sleeve to the end of saidcage, with its axis co-incident with the first named axis, and yieldablefingers carried by said sleeve and extending from the peripheral portionthereof toward its axis.

6. A centering device for pencil sharpeners, comprising a sleeve havingyieldable lingers that extend toward the axis of said sleeve and areslightly upturned at their outer ends and each flattened in a tangenv etial plane.

7. A centering device for pencil sharpeners, comprising a sleeve havingyieldablev fingers that extend toward the axis of the sleeve and areflattened in a direction tangentially of the sleeve.

In testimony whereof I, the said CHARLES E. CLARE, have hereunto set myhand.

CHARLES R. CLARE.

